Augusts Kirhenšteins, formerly spelt Kirchenšteins (18 September 1872 in
Mazsalaca
Mazsalaca (; liv, Piškisalāts, et, Väike-Salatsi, german: Salisburg) is a town in Valmiera Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It has 1269 inhabitants.
History
The area includes the largest known Stone Age burial site in Northern E ...
– 3 November 1963 in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
), was a Latvian and Soviet
microbiologist
A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...
, politician and educator. He was the ''de facto''
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of Latvia from 20 June 1940 to 25 August 1940 and Acting ''de facto''
President of Latvia
The president of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Valsts prezidents ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces, National Armed Forces of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia.
The term of office is four years. Before 1999, it w ...
from 21 July 1940 to 25 August 1940. It was Kirhenšteins' Soviet puppet government that requested the incorporation of
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
into the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
after the
occupation
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
*Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, th ...
of the country in 1940. He became a member of the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
in 1941. He was
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic 1940–1952.
Biography
Augusts Kirhenšteins was born on 18 September 1872 on the estate of
Valtenberg Manor in
Mazsalaca
Mazsalaca (; liv, Piškisalāts, et, Väike-Salatsi, german: Salisburg) is a town in Valmiera Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It has 1269 inhabitants.
History
The area includes the largest known Stone Age burial site in Northern E ...
, in the
Governorate of Livonia
The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia.
Geography
The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...
. He was the eldest son of the tenant Mārtiņš Kirhenšteins and his wife Baba, in a family of eleven children. Augusts Kirhenšteins' brother, Rūdolfs Kirhenšteins (1891-1938), went on to become a Soviet intelligence officer who was arrested and shot during the
Great Terror
The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secreta ...
.
In 1888, Augusts Kirhenšteins attended school at the Riga Alexander Boys Gymnasium. He then studied at the
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...
Veterinary Institute (1893-1901), publishing his first scientific work while still pursuing his studies. He joined the student fraternity Selonija, later switching to the fraternity Zemgalija. In 1901, he graduated from the institute and worked as a veterinarian in
Valmiera
Valmiera (; german: link=no, Wolmar; pl, Wolmar see other names) is the largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020 – 24 879. It is a state city ...
and
Limbaži
Limbaži (, et, Lemsalu, german: Lemsal, liv, Limbaž) is a town in the Vidzeme region of northern Latvia. Limbaži is located 90 km northeast of the capital Riga. The population is 6888 people. During the Middle Ages, as part of Livonia, ...
. Kirhenšteins was involved in revolutionary anti-Tsarist activity in this period and after the
1905 revolution was defeated in Latvia, Kirhenšteins emigrated to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, where he lived for a while in
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
. In 1911, he began work in
Davos
, neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch
, twintowns =
}
Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...
at the Institute for Tuberculosis Research as an assistant to the
bacteriologist
A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...
Carl Spengler.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Kirhenšteins served in the
Serbian army
The Serbian Army ( sr-cyr, Копнена војска Србије, Kopnena vojska Srbije, lit=Serbian Land Army) is the land-based and the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces.
History
Originally established in 1830 as the Army of Pr ...
as a military veterinarian. He returned home to Latvia in 1917, later becoming a captain in veterinary units of the
Latvian National Armed Forces
The Latvian National Armed Forces ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālie bruņotie spēki), or NBS, are the armed forces of Latvia. Latvia's defense concept is based on a mobile professional rapid response force and reserve segment that can be called upon re ...
during the
Latvian War of Independence
The Latvian War of Independence ( lv, Latvijas Neatkarības karš), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaim ...
.
In 1919, he was elected as an associate professor at the
University of Latvia
University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919.
The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...
, where he established a Microbiology Institute in the Faculty of Agriculture. In 1923, he defended his doctoral thesis, "On the Internal Structure and Development of Bacteria", writing his dissertation in French—this was the first doctoral thesis defended in Latvia. In 1923, he established a
serological
Serology is the scientific study of serum and other body fluids. In practice, the term usually refers to the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum. Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection (against a given mi ...
laboratory (Serum Station) at the University of Latvia. Working as its director, he made a major contribution to the development of science in Latvia, especially in the fields of microbiology, immunology, dairy farming and biotechnology.
In 1934, he married Olga Jansone in
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
. In addition to his scientific activities, Kirhenšteins was involved in social and political matters, in which he was a supporter of
social democracy
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
.
After the
occupation of Latvia
Latvia has been occupied by military forces from other nations from time to time. Military occupations of Latvia have included:
* Livonian Crusade (13th century)
* Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940
* Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany (1941 ...
, Kirhenšteins was invited to the USSR Embassy and offered to become the head of the new Soviet
puppet government
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sover ...
in Latvia, whose primary task was to formally ask for Latvia to be admitted to the Soviet Union, which was finalized in August 1940. He was then made chairman of the Presidium of the
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR), also known as Soviet Latvia or simply Latvia, was a federated republic within the Soviet Union, and formally one of its 16 (later 15) constituent republics. The Latvian Soviet Socialist Rep ...
(1940–52), and vice-president of the
Latvian Academy of Sciences
The Latvian Academy of Sciences ( lv, Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmija) is the official Academy of Sciences, science academy of Latvia and is an association of the country's foremost scientists. The academy was founded as the ''Latvian SSR Academy o ...
(1951-1958).
He died on 3 November 1963 in Riga and was buried at the Rainis Cemetery.
Awards
*
Hero of Socialist Labour
The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...
– by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet dated September 17, 1957 ''"for outstanding services in the field of biological science and social and political activity"''
* 6
Orders of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
*
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...
, 1st degree (03/02/1944)
* 3
Orders of the Red Banner of Labour
* Honored Scientist of the Latvian SSR (1945)
External links
"Augusts Kirhenšteins"at the Latvian Education Informatization System (LIIS).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirhensteins, Augusts
1872 births
1963 deaths
People from Mazsalaca
People from Kreis Wolmar
Academicians of the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Deputies of the People's Saeima
Heads of state of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Prime Ministers of Latvia
University of Latvia faculty
University of Tartu alumni
Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1947–1951
First convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Second convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Third convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Fifth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities
Heroes of Socialist Labour
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Recipients of the Order of the Three Stars
Latvian biologists
Latvian military personnel of the Latvian War of Independence
Latvian revolutionaries
Serbian military personnel of World War I
Soviet microbiologists